-
Gary350
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7428
- Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
- Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.
Animals in the Garden
Dog barked for 20 minutes so 3:42 am I got out of bed with the spot light to go see what is happening. It's the possum again. Most animals run away soon as dog barks but not this possum it just sets there making hissing sounds. Possum was setting next to a pile of about 10 Jalapeno peppers and will not leave. In the past I sprayed possum with water it was gone so fast it appears to just vanish. Scotty must have beamed the possum up. LOL. I don't know how the possum can run that fast and be gone so quick I don't even know which direction it went. One other time dog had a 6' snake cornered so it could not escape. I hope I never see a snake in the strawberry patch. I might need to trap this possum then release it 10 miles from town.
- Attachments
-
We get an opossum roaming around the bird feeders every once in a while. Having read they do not stay in any one area for very long, they are allowed to eat spilled birdseed. Raccoons like the suet cakes so live traps are put out to get rid of these pests.
Every once in a while opossums will get caught eating the marshmallow bait. Once in a trap they like to stay inside so I have to pick the trap up and shake them out. Even then our opossums just waddle off down the hill into the brush. Never hurt or kill these good guys.
Every once in a while opossums will get caught eating the marshmallow bait. Once in a trap they like to stay inside so I have to pick the trap up and shake them out. Even then our opossums just waddle off down the hill into the brush. Never hurt or kill these good guys.
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30551
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I haven’t seen opossums around herein a long while, but I have a story, too 
Long time ago when we were all much younger, hubby used to go tuna fishing every fall.
One year, he brought home I think four big ones. He had opted to butcher them himself and brought them all back bloodlet, but whole.
We had a redwood picnic table back then, and he laid those fish out on the table and cut them apart into chunks that he piled up onto platters.
I was in charge of bringing them inside and chilling them.
When he was finally finished, it was dark and he had put all the skeleton and guts in metal trash cans with tight fitting lids.
He was going to till the ground next day and bury them deep.
He had consolidated the cans so he ended up with an empty one that he’d rinsed and left uncovered.
Next morning, we woke up to a commotion by the back fence and there was an opossum in the bottom of the empty trash can, unable to get out.
(Hubby just tipped the can over, and it ran off into the woods.)
Afterwards…I turned that part of the yard into a vegetable garden and had fantastic results for about 3 years. I was finding scary entire backbones and jaws for another 8 to 10 years after. LOL
Long time ago when we were all much younger, hubby used to go tuna fishing every fall.
One year, he brought home I think four big ones. He had opted to butcher them himself and brought them all back bloodlet, but whole.
We had a redwood picnic table back then, and he laid those fish out on the table and cut them apart into chunks that he piled up onto platters.
I was in charge of bringing them inside and chilling them.
When he was finally finished, it was dark and he had put all the skeleton and guts in metal trash cans with tight fitting lids.
He was going to till the ground next day and bury them deep.
He had consolidated the cans so he ended up with an empty one that he’d rinsed and left uncovered.
Next morning, we woke up to a commotion by the back fence and there was an opossum in the bottom of the empty trash can, unable to get out.
(Hubby just tipped the can over, and it ran off into the woods.)
Afterwards…I turned that part of the yard into a vegetable garden and had fantastic results for about 3 years. I was finding scary entire backbones and jaws for another 8 to 10 years after. LOL